Source: Daily_Mail
Manchester City 2 Newcastle 1: Bellamy strike helps banish the blues for Hughes
Kaka he most definitely is not but, in Craig Bellamy, this troubled club do at least have something to celebrate this morning. [LNB]It has been a tough 10 days for Manchester City. From the failure to sign AC Milan's superstar to the sudden disappearance of Robinho; from the problems City's £34million man has now encountered with West Yorkshire Police to a situation that forces Mark Hughes to keep telling the world that he really is in charge. [LNB] What a start: Craig Bellamy punches the air after his debut goal.[LNB]Hughes was responsible for taking Bellamy to Eastlands and from the bristling, occasionally brilliant little Welshman he got just what he was looking for - a goal that not only proved a point but secured three more precious Barclays Premier League points that propelled City into the top half of the table. [LNB]It was a super goal in the 77th minute, the manner in which he turned Steven Taylor as impressive as the left-foot strike that followed. But it was the timing of the goal that proved so important, given the subsequent implosion of a City defence that somehow contrived to let Newcastle score. [LNB] Man City 2 Newcastle 1: All the action as it unfolded[LNB]Bad break for Magpies: Cracked bones rule Owen out for six weeks and Barton for ten[LNB]Heartbroken Kinnear admits Given is on verge of leaving Newcastle for Manchester City [LNB]MANCHESTER CITY FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB]NEWCASTLE UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB][LNB]Wayne Bridge will wince at the sight of himself losing possession to David Edgar, who then delivered the ball to the feet of an unmarked Andrew Carroll at the far post.[LNB]Hughes would be wise to ignore that and focus instead on the positives, like a decent first display from Nigel de Jong and the warmth of the reception for the troubled Robinho. They do not have Kaka but the supporters here wasted little time in singing 'we've got Robinho'. [LNB] Big blow: Michael Owen shares his concerns with the Newcastle medical staff over what turned out to be a cracked bone in his ankle.[LNB] They will have Shay Given as well before long. He was absent last night, and not even the Newcastle spokesman could keep a straight face when he said the outstanding Irish goalkeeper had an injured right knee. Presumably from crawling over broken glass to get here. Those same City supporters had it about right. 'Where's your keeper gone?' they asked their rivals in the knowledge that he would soon be joining the Hughes revolution. [LNB]Not that it felt much like a revolution last night. More a soap opera that involved Newcastle as much as City and which was memorable as much for the return of Mike Ashley as the appearance of Robinho, Bellamy, De Jong and Joey Barton. [LNB]Ashley had not attended a game during Joe Kinnear's tenure before last night and he probably rued that decision as much as he did his choice of attire. An open-necked shirt was ludicrously inadequate in such icy conditions. Maybe he pawned his coat having lost, according to Kinnear, 'two billion quid' in the credit crisis. [LNB]He must have watched this fearful for the money he has already invested, because this is starting to look like a Newcastle side destined for relegation. They have secured only two wins in 12 League games; hardly the form of a team who are going to survive the drop. Their goal aside, this was an abject display, so poor that Barton might have been forgiven for thumping a few of his teammates for making so little effort. [LNB]In the end Barton took his anger out on his boots, throwing them down the tunnel after injury forced him to retire from the contest in the 63rd minute. In those 63 minutes he still worked harder and ran farther than the majority of his colleagues who remained on the pitch for the duration. [LNB] Support: Mark Hughes congratulates Robinho.[LNB]It did not help to lose Michael Owen after 19 minutes with a broken bone in his ankle that will keep him out for six weeks, while Barton will miss 10 weeks with a metatarsal injury. [LNB]City opened the scoring with a superb goal in the 17th minute, Robinho coping admirably with the pressure he is obviously under by delivering a terrific ball into the path of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who in turn drove the ball through the legs of an advancing Steve Harper. [LNB]Newcastle could offer little in response. Their football was disjointed, their desire and determination seemingly non-existent. City were not exactly performing with any real fluency but they were comfortably in control. [LNB]Kinnear was furious when Mike Jones failed to award that 59th-minute penalty, and understandably so given how blatantly Micah Richards fouled Taylor. But City also had claims for what appeared to be a penalty ignored when Sebastien Bassong pulled down Bellamy. [LNB]Not that it mattered, because no sooner had the excellent Pablo Zabaleta crossed from the right than Bellamy had scored. [LNB]Only then did Newcastle respond, Edgar wrestling the ball off Bridge before drilling a pass across the face of City's goal that Carroll was only too happy to convert at the far post. [LNB]But victory belonged to City and so did Bellamy. A reason, at least, to be cheerful.[LNB]MATCH FACTS MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-3-2): Hart 6; Richards 6, Kompany 6, Onuoha 6, Bridge 6; De Jong 7 (Elano 80); Wright-Phillips 7 (Caicedo 90), Zabaleta 7 (Fernandes 82), Ireland 6; Robinho 6, Bellamy 6. Booked: Wright-Phillips. NEWCASTLE UTD (4-4-2): Harper 6; Edgar 5, Taylor 6, Bassong 6, Enrique 5; Geremi 5 (LuaLua 90), Coloccini 5, Barton 7 (Lovenkrands 64, 5), Duff 5; Owen 5 (Gutierrez 19, 5), Carroll 5. Booked: Taylor, Gutierrez. Man of the match: Pablo Zabaleta. Referee: Mike Jones. [LNB] Man City 2 Newcastle 1: All the action as it unfolded[LNB]Bad break for Magpies: Cracked bones rule Owen out for six weeks and Barton for ten[LNB]Heartbroken Kinnear admits Given is on verge of leaving Newcastle for Manchester City [LNB]MANCHESTER CITY FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB]NEWCASTLE UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB][LNB] [LNB]
